The avalanche happened around midday on Saturday at the Val Senales glacier in South Tyrol, a province in northern Italy near the Austrian border.
Officials from the Finance Police, Alpine rescue and Carabinieri attended the scene, with assistance from three helicopters and dog units specialized in avalanche search and rescue.
The bodies of a 35-year-old woman and a 7-year-old girl were found buried under the snow, according to a finance police source, who cannot be named as they did not have permission to speak to the media. Another 7-year-old girl died while en route to Santa Chiara hospital in Trento by helicopter, the source added. All three victims -- who are believed to be German -- were regular skiers.
The source also said that two other skiers received minor injuries while two more were rescued from under the snow.
Magistrates in Trento have opened an investigation and were headed to the accident scene on Sunday morning. They will survey the site and assess if appropriate security measures were in place on the ski slopes.
Officials have not excluded the possibility the avalanche was caused by off-piste skiers.
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